On a previous thread, I mentioned problems that appeared to be HD related that I was experiencing. I concluded that once I unplugged the unit, the problems were solved. Well, I spoke too soon, the problems started happening again, so I concluded that a HD replacement was necessary.
So I'd like to share my experiences so others may benefit. All your messages helped me to get this HD upgrade to work, so I'm appreciative. The "problems" I encountered were all documented somewhere on this forum which saved my butt! I would have never been able to do it without this forum. Hell, I wouldn't have known it was even possible without this forum and would have ended up buying a new unit. Instead I spent far less money and now have triple the recording space!
I have an RCA DWD490RE and installed the Maxtor L01J100 Kit with a 20gb bonus which makes it a 120gb drive. I used the instructions at WWW.BLINDSQUIRREL.ORG/UTV/ which were completely accurate except for a few things I will point out that were I'm sure accurate at the time of the printing, but may be different now, also depending on the specific HD you use.
Step 5 of the instructions say: "With the new hard drive in hand, remove the jumper connector that is connected to pins between the ribbon and power connectors. Once this jumper is removed, the hard drive will be configured for a standalone (single) or master drive configuration". This may work for some drives and not for others. I did this, and when I brought the unit up, it said something about the unit not being operational and needing repair. So I went to the Maxtor web site and got the jumper settings for a master drive, set the jumper accordingly, and this fixed the issue.
I also ran into the connecting issue many others have encountered. Per other messages, when it hung on "connecting" when it was trying to dial up, I unplugged the phone line and then I plugged it in again when it tried to start dialing a different number. The third time I did this, it found a number that worked.
When downloading the SW release from MSN, the instructions say the screen tells you it will take 74 minutes and download 206 parts. But mine said 104 minutes and 282 parts. Probably an upgarded release accounts for the difference. By the way, mine took 148 minutes to finish, about 50% higher than the estimated 104. But phone connect speeds will have something to do with that. Also, mine timed out somwhere in the middle, but when I clicked to try again, it picked up where it left off and kept going. I thought I would have to start all over. I guess that's why they download this thing in parts.
The only bummer to this whole thing was that, net of rebates, my drive cost $110. But I saw others on here get the same drive for anywhere from $70 to $90. Maybe some rebates have gone away since I purchased about 5 days ago (Best Buy).
So thanks again everyone. I hope this helps others!
So I'd like to share my experiences so others may benefit. All your messages helped me to get this HD upgrade to work, so I'm appreciative. The "problems" I encountered were all documented somewhere on this forum which saved my butt! I would have never been able to do it without this forum. Hell, I wouldn't have known it was even possible without this forum and would have ended up buying a new unit. Instead I spent far less money and now have triple the recording space!
I have an RCA DWD490RE and installed the Maxtor L01J100 Kit with a 20gb bonus which makes it a 120gb drive. I used the instructions at WWW.BLINDSQUIRREL.ORG/UTV/ which were completely accurate except for a few things I will point out that were I'm sure accurate at the time of the printing, but may be different now, also depending on the specific HD you use.
Step 5 of the instructions say: "With the new hard drive in hand, remove the jumper connector that is connected to pins between the ribbon and power connectors. Once this jumper is removed, the hard drive will be configured for a standalone (single) or master drive configuration". This may work for some drives and not for others. I did this, and when I brought the unit up, it said something about the unit not being operational and needing repair. So I went to the Maxtor web site and got the jumper settings for a master drive, set the jumper accordingly, and this fixed the issue.
I also ran into the connecting issue many others have encountered. Per other messages, when it hung on "connecting" when it was trying to dial up, I unplugged the phone line and then I plugged it in again when it tried to start dialing a different number. The third time I did this, it found a number that worked.
When downloading the SW release from MSN, the instructions say the screen tells you it will take 74 minutes and download 206 parts. But mine said 104 minutes and 282 parts. Probably an upgarded release accounts for the difference. By the way, mine took 148 minutes to finish, about 50% higher than the estimated 104. But phone connect speeds will have something to do with that. Also, mine timed out somwhere in the middle, but when I clicked to try again, it picked up where it left off and kept going. I thought I would have to start all over. I guess that's why they download this thing in parts.
The only bummer to this whole thing was that, net of rebates, my drive cost $110. But I saw others on here get the same drive for anywhere from $70 to $90. Maybe some rebates have gone away since I purchased about 5 days ago (Best Buy).
So thanks again everyone. I hope this helps others!
